When an animal survives a harrowing ordeal, it makes it that much more meaningful when they find a loving home. For a tiny Maltese/Yorkie named Chali, a freezing January morning set the stage for a warm, cozy future, and we can’t help but think that his “Happy Tail” was written in the cards. Here is his story.

On January 5, 2014, Chali was found wandering as a stray in Crotona Park in the Bronx, New York. It was the height of the “Polar Vortex,” and temperatures that day hovered in the low 20s. A Good Samaritan spotted Chali lost in the snow and brought him to the ASPCA.  At only seven pounds, the four-year-old pup was shy, shivering, and in desperate need of a home.

At the ASPCA Animal Hospital, Chali received a medical exam and was deemed healthy. He was soon neutered and placed into our office foster program so he could recover from his surgery in the care of our staff until he was ready for adoption.

While all of this was happening, an ASPCA employee named Missy G. was working on plans for the ASPCA Bergh Ball, an annual fundraising event in New York City. A member of our Special Events Department, Missy was coordinating a photo shoot for a custom deck of playing cards featuring adoptable animals from the ASPCA. By chance, the day of the photo shoot was the same day Chali came to the Adoption Center.

“I picked him up and brought him to the shoot,” Missy recalls. “He was the first dog we shot and he ended up being the Ace of Clubs.” While Missy worked on the project over the next few weeks, she continued to visit Chali, and slowly but surely, he stole her heart. “On the last day of shooting, I decided I couldn’t just leave him behind and I brought him home with me,” she says.

Missy changed Chali’s name to Rocky, and in the year since his adoption, the pair has become inseparable. He still comes to the ASPCA office for regular visits. “From the moment he walked into our home, it was like he had always been there,” Missy beams. “He was the perfect addition to our family and I love him more than anything.”

It’s hard to believe that anyone could abandon a dog like Rocky, but it’s clear that he is finally where he was always meant to be. He may have been the “Ace of Clubs” in our deck of cards, but to Missy, he’s the King of Hearts.